Archive for November, 2007

Would you perosnally read your copy to your customer?

At the risk of inciting envy, this is the time of year I really enjoy Florida - 78 degrees in November with cobalt blue skies and a light ocean breeze.  But anyway, I was traveling around the other day in my top-down Jeep when I see another of my Jeep brethren in my rear view window.  If you need enlightenment on the Jeep Nation please read my post from a few months ago.  Anyway this guy and girl pull up beside me at a traffic light and yell over at me.  “Hey, we’re not from around here.  Where can we get a nice lunch?”  Having seen their California licence plate, I had already pegged them as tourists and so their request seemed more than legit.  What followed was an interesting combination of thin slicing (a term from Malcolm Gladwell’s book - Blink), market research, and the incredible power of word of mouth recommendation.  All in a matter of maybe a minute at a traffic light.

Our little berg has lots of quaint little lunch spots, so when posed with the original question, my retort was naturally - “What are you guys hungry for?” hoping to narrow my list.  His answer, “Something authentic, you know - no fast food chains”.  OK, so I have all the data I need from my target consumer.  The usual suspects of burger and sub shops have just been eliminated.  Some quick assumptions relative to their visual demographics and West Coast personality, eliminated a few more.  When I finally landed on my favorite lunch spot that I personally thought they would enjoy, an incredible sense of power came over me.  I was actually going to be responsible for their first impression in my little town, responsible for quenching their hunger, and perhaps provide for a memorable experience.  Lots of weight on my proverbial “word of mouth” shoulders.  I directed them to a nice little lunch spot that was just up the road.  Nice deli style sandwiches, tables outside to eat, and a great little old-style deli experience in my estimation. 

We both pulled away from the light giving each other a friendly wave.  Over the next few minutes I reflected on what had just happened from a marketing POV.   I had delivered to a consumer a word of mouth recommendation that within minutes was acted upon.  It was the purest form of communication.  No filters, Tivos, extraneous background clutter, meaningless copy etc..  But maybe what was most enlightening as I drove back to my office was the amount of thought I had put into this recommendation.  Not measured in time, as the entire conversation took place within one cycle of a traffic light.  But the seriousness of thought and true personal involvement I felt in my recommendation.  This was a stranger to my town.  Connected by our joint passion for Jeeps, and simply looking for a good lunch.  I held his first impression of this little beach town in my hands. 

What if all marketers viewed their next ad as if they were personally going to show a print ad, read a television script, or hold up a billboard to an individual?  An individual that could look them in the eye and ask questions.  In that scenario would we as marketers be willing to deliver such a personal recommendation to a new visitor in the community.  Nothing to hide behind, the marketing would be tied to our reputation.  I think under that scenario, marketing would be just a little bit better if we took such personal ownership and translated our traditional mediums through a word of mouth experiential model.

 Just for kicks I thought I’d drive by the little sandwich shop.  Even though it was a bit out of my way, I was curious if they were there.  As I drove by the couple were sitting out on the picnic tables, Jeep parked nearby, and they both threw out the universal two thumbs up.  Influential recommendation leading to trial.  The strongest form of advertising had just proven itself once again.   I drove away and felt the power of persuasion.

The Buzz about Burt’s Bees and Bleach - Another Great Brand Story Gets a New Ending

This may be more of a note to self for future reference in a year or so.  It seems as though Burt’s Bees wonderful line of personal care products (my personal favorite being their lip balm) will be sold to Clorox for $925 million in cash.

According to the Burt’s Bees website it’s all good:

A Letter to Our Loyal Customers:  As you’ve probably heard by now, we at Burt’s Bees are entering an exciting new chapter in our lives as a result of the recent sale of the company to The Clorox Company. It’s a great opportunity to help us better deliver against our mission of making truly natural personal products available to everyone, everywhere.

This new journey gives us the energy and the resources to do even more. Not only will we be able to accelerate our growth, but this will also help us to grow the natural personal care category in general, furthering our commitment to The Greater Good.

You can keep counting on Burt’s Bees in the ways you always have. We will always stay steadfast behind our values and commitment to making the best natural personal care products with the most environmentally sensitive packaging and nature-safe manufacturing processes. And, above all, we’ll continue on with our social mission to make people’s lives better every day, naturally.

It’s your desire to improve your well-being and the world around you that has given us the support to take this next step. We thank you and ask for your continued support so we can keep the Burt’s Bees hive buzzing.

Felt a bit coerced and forced.  Sounded like corporate PR guy takes off his pin stripe suit, puts on khakis and Crocs and writes a release for the “greenies”. 

Burt’s products were built on a great story.  Founded in 1984 by Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz, Burt’s Bees grew from a roadside operation in Maine to a thriving business in the NC Tech Triangle.  Customers felt so good about putting a product as natural as bees wax on their bodies; and the environmental story the company crafted around it was just as strong.  It was all about setting the highest in natural standards, preserving our environment, and a commitment to to the health and well being of our earth and its people.  Contrast that with Clorox bleach, which is all about germ free and clean through harsh chemicals, wrapped of course in a warm and fuzzy white cotton blanket. 

I guess time will tell but it just disappoints me when these great little experiential brands sell out their souls and their stories for financial gain.  If you listen to the PR spin coming form Clorox I guess it all makes sense: 

“We plan to run the business semi-independently,” says Clorox spokesperson Dan Staublin. “We will be bringing our skills and strengths to the relationship, but we know that we have a lot to learn from Burt’s Bees about personal products, sustainability and the green platform.”

That approach will extend to marketing. “We will bring our expertise in brand building and building retail relationships, but Burt’s Bees will continue to work with the creative agencies it currently works with, and its overall marketing approach and direction will continue going forward,” Staublin says.

And full disclosure here, Burt’s Bees founders had already sold the business in 2003 to AEA Investors, a New York private equity group.  However that acquisition isn’t generating the type of visibility or scrutiny that the Clorox acquisition has.  And all branding aside, I guess it makes sense on the surface.  With the green movement beginning to hit its stride even in Main Street Wal*Marts across the country, it has kind of caught the big brands flat footed.  Rather than try and create products that meet these needs, they find it easier to line up these strategic acquisitions.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of this. 

I just hope that the great brand stories built by entrepreneurial visionaries aren’t lost as they become assimilated into the big CPG machines.  I just don’t want to see an on-pack promotion where they strap a free sample of Burt’s Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Grapeseed Oil Hand Creme to a gallon of Clorox Bleach to lessen the harsh effects on a woman’s tender hands.